Ibanez JEM777 Steve Vai

For 2017, Ibanez is celebrating the 30th anniversary of its relationship with Steve Vai – and the creation of the now legendary JEM guitar – with the release of the new JEM777. The Ibanez JEM777 Steve Vai is a limited edition model recreating the iconic JEM777 that first appeared at NAMM 1987..

The JEM777 is crafted in Japan with a Basswood body, for a fat, well-balanced tone and is fitted with a slim, five-piece JEM Maple/Walnut neck. The Ibanez JEM777 also
features 24 jumbo frets with Prestige fret edge treatment, the frets are scalloped from the 21st to the 24th to facilitate techniques such as bending, pull offs and tapping, the Disappearing Pyramid inlays from the 1987 model, pickups are Steve Vai’s signature DiMarzio Evolution pickups – for a wide array of rock tones, the bridge is the Ibanez Edge tremolo bridge with Ultralite Tremolo Arm and Lion’s Claw bridge cavity for extreme bends and dives.

How the JEM got its name

“Basically, every company approached me for endorsements, and a lot of them make very fine products. But I had an idea for a guitar that I kinda put together; I had a prototype I was using on tour, three of them actually, that were put together by myself, my guitar tech Elwood, and a friend of mine named Joe Despagni – he owns a company called Jem Guitars that makes custom guitars” – Steve Vai